POLL .400 or 70

[DragonfromTO]

I'm currently conducting the "How bad can you possibly be while hitting a HR every 12 ABs?" experiment with Luis Valbuena in my Diamond Mind league, but early returns seem to be saying "take the .400 BA"

Just checked and Luis is currently sitting at .188/.240/.521 vs RHPs for me and .175/.225/.485 overall. Yuck.

 

[Chewbaccer]

Not if you never walk and get on base by errors often...

If you go an entire season without walking at all, if you hit .400, you're still guaranteed an OBP of .400

 

[SU Nittany Tide]

If you go an entire season without walking at all, if you hit .400, you're still guaranteed an OBP of .400

Nope. OBP can be less than BA. I said the wrong thing though. Sacrifice flies lower your OBP but not your batting average.

 

[Chewbaccer]

Nope. OBP can be less than BA. I said the wrong thing though. Sacrifice flies lower your OBP but not your batting average.

Find one example in the history of baseball of a player with a lower OBP than BA for even a week's span, and then you might be onto something.

And even if said player walked 0 times(which is impossible) that OBP would still be like .399999 and rounded to .400.

 

[SU Nittany Tide]

Find one example in the history of baseball of a player with a lower OBP than BA for even a week's span, and then you might be onto something.

And even if said player walked 0 times(which is impossible) that OBP would still be like .399999 and rounded to .400.

Quick google search, but I'm surprised you haven't heard of this. Sometimes you'll see a pitcher with numbers like this.

John Buck 2013 Batting Game Logs | Baseball-Reference.com

 

[DragonfromTO]

Find one example in the history of baseball of a player with a lower OBP than BA for even a week's span, and then you might be onto something.

And even if said player walked 0 times(which is impossible) that OBP would still be like .399999 and rounded to .400.

It would never happen of course but theoretically in a full season with zero BB+HBP even a single SF would round the OBP down to .399.

781 PAs would be a new MLB record. But a season of 312 for 780 with a single sacrifice fly would still give a BA of .400 and an OBP of .3994878

 

[navamind]

Quick google search, but I'm surprised you haven't heard of this. Sometimes you'll see a pitcher with numbers like this.

John Buck 2013 Batting Game Logs | Baseball-Reference.com

Bengie Molina's OBP was lower than his BA in 2009 until May 12.

Bengie Molina 2009 Batting Game Logs | Baseball-Reference.com

 

[steelerssb]

.400. Feels like a much harder stat to sustain throughout a season.

 

[VikingFan2k2]

.400. Feels like a much harder stat to sustain throughout a season.

It is. I am almost certain I'll see another 70 bomb season in my life, probably in the next 5 years.

I am almost certain that I'll never see a .400 season in my life.

 

[JohnU]

It would never happen of course but theoretically in a full season with zero BB+HBP even a single SF would round the OBP down to .399.

781 PAs would be a new MLB record. But a season of 312 for 780 with a single sacrifice fly would still give a BA of .400 and an OBP of .3994878

wait, a guy is going to get 312 hits in one season and NEVER draw a walk? Are these all infield bleeders?

The fabled RBI total for such a guy would be off the charts.

I get it on the theory.

 

[DragonfromTO]

wait, a guy is going to get 312 hits in one season and NEVER draw a walk? Are these all infield bleeders?

The fabled RBI total for such a guy would be off the charts.

I get it on the theory.

Wait, a guy is going to bat .100 overall and still stay in the lineup often enough to hit 70 HRs?

I mean, isn't a lot of what we're discussing in this thread the result of unrealistic hypotheticals? I was merely responding to your incorrect statement regarding the math.

 

[JohnU]

Wait, a guy is going to bat .100 overall and still stay in the lineup often enough to hit 70 HRs?

I mean, isn't a lot of what we're discussing in this thread the result of unrealistic hypotheticals? I was merely responding to your incorrect statement regarding the math.

I didn't do any math at all. If somebody gets 312 hits in a season, I want him to piss in a jar.

 

[DragonfromTO]

I didn't do any math at all. If somebody gets 312 hits in a season, I want him to piss in a jar.

That's because you jumped in and responded to something directed specifically at someone else and I didn't notice Wasn't you that said it, sorry.

 

[broncosmitty]

Bengie Molina's OBP was lower than his BA in 2009 until May 12.

Bengie Molina 2009 Batting Game Logs | Baseball-Reference.com

Hard to do.

Dee Gordon has 3 walks on the year and still has an OBP nearly 30 points higher than his BA.

 

[broncosmitty]

And I'd take the 400.

 

[navamind]

I want him to piss in a jar.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

 

[JohnU]

I think hitting .400 is more interesting if you start doing it in April and are still doing it in September. That tends to modify the conversation about how it impacts OBP.

 

[DragonfromTO]

Just checked and Luis is currently sitting at .188/.240/.521 vs RHPs for me and .175/.225/.485 overall. Yuck.

Update on this, through 86 team games Luis is batting .172/.253/.460 with 14 HRs in 195 PAs. .186/.263/.497 vs RHPs. We keep winning though so it's kinda fun, waiting to see when he'll wake up and uncork one.

 

[Roy Munson]

You'll hit plenty of dingers hitting .400...

 

[navamind]

You'll hit plenty of dingers hitting .400...

A high BA doesn't necessarily mean you're hitting for power. Ichiro had 8 home runs on 262 hits in 2004 when he hit .372 (slugged only .455). Only about 14% of his hits were extra base hits. That's awfully low.